Hey everyone! I'm new to the group but have been poking around the site for a few months now and have been immensely impressed with the opinions expressed here. My experience is primarily with wine but I LOVE coffee and it's similarities to wine in the effect of terroir on the taste of the end product. I'm putting together a new shop that's a cross wine/coffee shop with a retail and cafe space. The coffee side will focus, along with daily blends, on single domain small production coffee. Knowing how important the machine is to this I wanted to know what machines you would suggest. I've researched a fair few and have peared it down to the kees van der westen Mirage Triplette Classic, Slayer three group, and the Synesso Cyncra. I've looked into these primarily for their reputation as being top of the line machines and their ability to get the best expression of the coffee when in the hands of a skilled barista. Is there a machine that I'm missing? Suggestions, please!

That works... and he can take the $17,975.00 he saves and go to the casino. :)

I bet you couldn't go wrong with any of them. I'd probably go for the one I could find the best deal on and could get serviced locally. Unless you have all kinds of start up $$ and don't need to worry about making it. Keeping the budget in control is always good for a new business. As for the service, if its down, you need it fixed promptly. I doubt the differences between the three of them would be what keeps you in business.

Thank you all so much for all this. Start-up costs are what they are, I've specifically allocated a good amount towards equipment, particularly the espresso machine and grinders, as, let's face it, that's the heart of the business. I like the Slayer because it is a domestic company and I can get it tweeked to my specifications. But the reviews I've read about the machines from van der Westen make them look pretty appealing. And, as much as I hate to admit it they both look BRILLIANT! lol

Building on your comment. Synesso is local in Washington and I have been to their establishment, I know they would be more than willing to work with you on special features.Just saying, if you like domestic manufacturers.

In real life, my name isWayne P.Anything I post is personal opinion and is only worth as much as anyone else's personal opinion. YMMV!

It being domestic isn't a deal breaker. I'm just thinking from a if something should go horribly wrong how quick the turn around on getting info on a fix would be. I'm on the east coast so the west would give me a 3 hour cushion whereas if it's a Euro based company there would be, at best, a 6 hour lead. That being said thanks for the heads up on Synessco.

If he can hold onto it for the next year or so sure, sadly that's about how far I'm out from opening the doors. The shop/cafe is going to have a wine retail space attached to it so there's a whole other level of licensing I need to address.

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